


Not My Father's Sins

by RWBYaddict



Category: RWBY
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Child Abuse, F/F, Grief/Mourning, it ends happy, learning how to stand up for yourself
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-10-20 16:38:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17625914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RWBYaddict/pseuds/RWBYaddict
Summary: Taiyang blames Yang for Summer's passing and Raven's abandonment, and Yang is forced to grow up in a very abusive home, giving her a whole bunch of insecurities and challenges to overcome, but when she finally moves on to college, she manages to make some lasting friendships, and they help give the support she needs to end the suffering and abuse, but not without a fight, and Ruby is caught in the middle of it all





	1. Those Left to Mourn

“I don’t understand.” The blonde seven year old had tears streaming down her cheeks as she held Ruby’s little hand with her right and Taiyang’s large hand in her left, a white rose pressed between her palm and his. She looked up at the sobbing man holding her hand, “Why did mama die? We still need her here. W-Who’s gonna make cookies? Who’s gonna read me and Ruby bedtime stories?”

Qrow and some family friends and a few people Yang didn’t know started to lower the wooden casket into the ground, and just as the top was level with Yang’s chest she felt movement from her right hand as Ruby walked toward the box, still holding the white rose Tai had given the toddler. Yang’s grip tightened on her younger sister’s fist as she pulled back, but Ruby seemed to be on a mission as she began to whine. Tai just sobbed and held Yang’s hand as he watched the casket get lower and lower, oblivious to everything else, so Yang took action and pulled Ruby more forcefully. “Ruby, you’ll fall in the pit. Come here.”

“Mama.”

Ruby could barely talk. She had developed a little slower than most her age due to a small genetic disorder, so at the age of four, she was still learning the basics of language, but hearing her call for her mother made Yang give a sob as she knew Ruby would never see Summer again. Yang pulled Ruby close, letting go of Tai’s hand to hug her little sister like she would never let go. Ruby sensed that Yang needed this, even if she didn’t understand why Summer would not be coming back.  
Once the casket rested against the ground the pastor of the local church said a few words, prayed, and told Tai to toss in the first white rose. He didn’t do what everyone expected as he ripped the petals off the stem and scattered them onto the casket. Qrow copied Tai and scattered his petals as well as everyone standing around the gravesite ripped the petals off the stems and scattered them into the pit, just like Summer’s semblance, each one repeating the phrase written on the stone with Summer’s mark.  


“Thus Kindly I Scatter.”

Yang didn’t want to let go of Ruby, but it was her turn, so she reluctantly let go as she copied everyone else, though she had a really tough time ripping off the petals. Tai took the rose from her and ripped the petals for her to hand them back to the small blonde in pigtails. She let the petals fall from her hand into the grave herself, a tear falling from her trembling chin as she did.

“Th-thus Kindly I Scatter.”

\------------

Two and a half weeks went by since the funeral. Qrow stayed around to help the family try to return to some semblance of a normal routine. Patch wasn’t huge, and Summer had been well known as one of the kindest moms in the community, so there seemed to be no end of people offering food, daycare, or toys for them. They’d microwaved another of the homemade meals for dinner and Tai went off to his room as he always seemed to do. Qrow took care of Ruby as Yang did the dishes, rinsing them off in the sink while standing on a stool before stepping off the stool to put them in the dishwasher.

She was just finishing rinsing off the second last place when Tai came over to her, a hard to read expression on his face as Yang gave a small smile seeing him out of the room.  


“Daddy. I’m almost done-“

He slammed the plate out of Yang’s hand to the floor, where it shattered on impact, frightening Yang who tried to back away, forgetting she was on a stool. She fell backward when her foot caught nothing but air, and she landed painfully hard on her back, a sharp edge of the broken plate digging into her arm as she gave a yelp of fear and pain. Tai’s hands were in fists as he towered over her, his voice cross as he nearly shouted at her. “Stand up!”

Yang had never seen her father this angry at her before, and she had no idea how to react, but she felt like she’d done something very wrong, and she didn’t want to get in more trouble, so she scrambled to her feet as fast as she could and backed into the corner of the counters. Tai seemed to stalk closer as he latched onto her arm and forced her closer with an iron grip that dug into her soft flesh and she cried out again in pain. “Daddy, it hurts!”

He almost seemed to squeeze harder, bringing tears to Yang’s eyes. Tai almost looked like he was going to hurt Yang, his eyes filled with pain and rage as he raised his hand. “It’s your fault! It’s all your fault!”

Before he could say anything else, or go through with any actions he had in mind, Qrow grabbed Tai’s wrist and pulled his hand away from Yang’s arm, who was now shaking and crying as she held her still stinging arm. “Tai, what the hell!? Yang,” He turned to look at the stunned crying child, “Go find your sister. Maybe read her a story.”

Yang didn’t waste any time as she quickly left the kitchen and headed upstairs to her and Ruby’s shared room, still in tears. She caught a little of the conversation before she chose to stop listening.

Qrow sounded surprised, but mad. “Tai, this isn’t you! That’s your daughter! You can’t just grab her like that. You scared her, and I’m pretty sure you hurt her. Get a hold of yourself! Just cause Summer’s gone, doesn’t mean you can treat Yang like that”

Tai’s voice sounded enraged, but he didn’t shout and Yang didn’t want to hear what he had to say. Instead, she decided to distract herself with helping Ruby with her words and tell her a story.

\------------

Four days after Tai had lost it and left bruises on Yang’s arm, Qrow left. He said he didn’t belong there and that he had work to do elsewhere. Yang could sense that something was wrong. Tai hadn’t been showing any kind of love to Yang, not the way he used to. To be fair, he rarely gave Ruby attention either since the funeral, but he still gave the toddler more love and attention than he gave to Yang. His words kept echoing in her head, and it made her cry herself to sleep.

Yang felt an overwhelming sense of guilt, and she decided that with Qrow now leaving, she would step up and try to fix whatever it was that had Tai upset at her. She started teaching herself how to do everything, from cleaning to cooking to caring for Ruby. Her goal became making Tai smile again, by whatever means necessary, which is why she was in her room drawing pictures while Ruby was taking a nap on the couch. She was on the floor, colouring away and humming when she heard Tai’s footsteps. She got a smile on her own face as she grabbed the page she was colouring and stood up to face her father. “Daddy, I drew you something!”

Tai looked absolutely ragged, like he was just a shell of a man, and his eyes held an almost insatiable rage in them as he grabbed the paper forcefully and tore it to shreds in front of Yang’s face. Her smile vanished as she instantly grew timid of her father. She started backing away, but this time he grabbed her shirt and pulled her closer. “You really think some shitty picture is going to make up for all you’ve done?!”

He shoved her hard, and she right away fell to the ground, tears in her eyes again as she felt frightened, but he wasn’t done, not by a long shot. “You’re the reason Summer is dead! You’re the reason everyone I love leaves me! It’s all because of you, you little parasite!”

Yang covered her head with her arms, letting out a whimper of fear, but before she could say anything she felt his boot connect with her stomach and she went flying across the room. She slammed into the wall hard, but not quite enough to dent it as she cried out and curled up tight when she landed, some of the breath being knocked from her lungs as she gripped her stomach where he’d kicked her.

Tai started to walk closer, still hurling insults her way. “You weren’t even supposed to exist. You were an accident, one that caused Raven to run from me! You are nothing more than a mistake! I should have-“

A small scream cut him off as Ruby stood at the doorway, tears in her little silver eyes as she watched Tai stalk closer to the helpless child. Tai turned to Ruby and right away his anger seemed to melt as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her away from Yang’s room. “There there, daddy’s sorry he raised his voice. I’m here for you, my little rose.”

As soon as Tai was out of sight Yang tried to get up, but her stomach was in a lot of pain, and her back ached from hitting the wall, then the floor. She crawled to her bed and crawled under it to curl up into the fetal position under her bed, where she was safe, or at least, where she felt safe. She couldn’t stop herself from crying as she didn’t understand why Tai was so upset with her. She knew he blamed her for things, but she didn’t know how to fix it, so she cried for a long time.

An hour or two later she heard Ruby throwing a typical toddler tantrum. She knew she couldn’t stay under the bed forever and cry. She dried her tears and crawled out from under the frame and tried to stand up straight. The pain had subsided a lot, but her stomach still hurt a little as she came downstairs to deal with Ruby’s fit. She steeled herself and decided she needed to be the new woman of the house, and she swore to herself, she would prove to Tai that she wasn’t useless and she was worth loving.

And so, she soothed Ruby, and took it upon herself to keep the house together, no matter what she had to learn or how hard it would be, she would try to fill Summer’s massive place as best as she possibly could.


	2. First Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang collides with a black haired faunus. Will they be upset, or possibly form a friendship?

“Yang, hurry!” Ruby knocked on the bathroom door, “You haven’t even eaten yet. We’ll be late!” 

“Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute, Rubes. Nevermind breakfast, I’ll just grab something at the cafe” Yang stood in front of the mirror, making sure her makeup hid the slight bruise on her forehead, and that her light sweater covered her arms up to her wrists. It was still her first month at Beacon, and she’d learned a long time ago to hide whatever marks Tai may inflict when his rage took over. It was easier than coming up with a believable story to whoever asked about it.

Once she was sure she was presentable she left the bathroom and grabbed her backpack. Last she’d checked Tai was in his room, but when she came downstairs with her head down, checking her scroll, his voice made her instantly freeze as he spoke to Ruby.

“I guess I just wanna say, I’m proud of you, Ruby. You’d have made your mom real proud.”

Yang hesitated a minute, then she took a deep breath and came toward the front door to put her boots on, her heart beating a little faster. Tai straightened and watched the blonde as she knelt down, and he scowled just a little. “You come straight home, ok? I don’t want you out drinking or whatever it is you do when you don’t come home right away.”

She nodded as she straightened and grabbed the keys for the little car in the driveway. Ruby was all ready as they both left to head to beacon. She knew he didn’t say anything else because Ruby was there, but after a few minutes Yang forced a smile and glanced toward her younger sister. She started up a conversation to ease both of them and soon they pulled up at the school. Ruby right away dashed off toward her few friends as Yang just watched her go, proud to call the hyper 16 year old her sister, even more proud that Ruby had graduated two years early and had gotten a scholarship for Beacon, but she’d refused to go by herself. Tai had finally caved after a whole summer of arguing and Yang and Ruby both enrolled at Beacon University.

Yang’s stomach growled, reminding the blonde that she hadn’t fed it this morning, but this was not new to her. She had gotten quite good at ignoring her stomach’s complaints, out of necessity. She gathered her things and headed into Beacon, but got distracted with a text from Tai. It made her uneasy, but it was just a reminder of things she needed to get done when she came home from school.

As she was walking she didn’t notice a black haired girl walking toward her, who was also on her scroll, and before she knew it Yang collided with the girl, somehow managing to get smacked right on her still sensitive bruise on her forehead. She normally would’ve just stumbled back, but that knock really hurt and she ended up losing her balance and falling to the ground, her hand instantly holding her head as she let out a yelp. The other girl didn’t fall over, but she right away started to collect her things as she knelt down near Yang. “Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry! I was on my scroll, I didn’t see... are you ok?”

Yang gave a small grunt as she grit her teeth a little, pulses of pain going through her head as she opened her eyes and slowly got to her feet. “Ah, yeah, I’m fine. You just smacked an old bruise, so it brought twice the pain.”

Once she was mostly on her feet, with the help of the black haired faunus, Yang finally got a good look at her, and without a shadow of a doubt, this girl was pretty. Yang tried to give her best smile as she extended her hand, though this revealed her head as her makeup rubbed off a little and exposed the light grey, slightly purple bruise on the right side of her forehead. “Hey, I’m Yang. Sorry for being so clumsy.”

The faunus right away noticed the bruise as her eyes went a bit wide and she almost reached for it, but they didn’t really know each other, so she held back and took Yang’s hand instead. “Blake. You sure you’re fine? That’s a bad bruise. Is it giving you a headache?”

She shook her head and smiled more genuinely. “Oh, no, my head’s fine. Like I said, I banged my head a couple days ago is all.” She wasn’t used to people other than Ruby caring about small things like that, and since they’d moved from Patch, Yang hadn’t had a single friend, so she refused to let this opportunity pass.

“So, where are you headed?”

“Oh, I’ve got Professor Port in a few. I wanted to swing by the library real quick.”

What luck! Yang had the same class, so she shifted to walk with Blake instead of facing her. “Hey, I’ve got Port too! Would we be able to walk together?”

Blake seemed a bit hesitant, but she agreed. She seemed quiet, but that just made Yang want to be around her more. Since childhood, Yang hadn’t really had real friends. Sure, she had a crowd she hung out with, but she never felt worthy of a friendship. No, her father made sure any positivity she felt toward herself was crushed before it could take root, but she wanted this to be a fresh start, and walking with Blake to the library was the first step for her.

\-----

Blake hadn’t been expecting to interact with anyone, especially a human. She wasn’t really racist, but she preferred her own kind for company. Since she’d moved to Vale, she had barely spoken to anyone, and if she were being honest, she was lonely. Velvet was going to Beacon, but she didn’t have a single class with Blake and they just never seemed to have time to hang out.

So, when Yang offered to accompany her, she didn’t say no. There was something about Yang that almost seemed... vulnerable. The blonde didn’t really come across that way, but Blake had sensed it, and it almost reassured her that Yang was genuine and didn’t mean any harm. In all honesty, Blake just wanted someone to talk to and spend time with, and Yang had just walked right into her life. Literally.

They talked all the way to the library and back to Professor Port’s class, or more like Yang talked and Blake made small comments here and there. Blake had always assumed someone like Yang would be super annoying, but she found the blonde’s presence comforting. Blake was subtle, but she managed to learn Yang’s class schedule as well as her number. Once Blake learned they had a spare together Blake suggested they meet up at the library to study together. 

It seemed almost out of character for her to enjoy the blonde’s company, and yet here she was, saving the number on her scroll for later. Once she got to Port’s class she took her usual seat in the back, out of the way, but she was surprised when Yang decided to join her and sit beside her. Blake didn’t really mind, she just didn’t understand why the blonde would choose her to sit beside. She pulled out her notebook so she could keep track of Port’s lesson.

She tended to doodle in her notebook as it helped her keep focus, and she happened to have drawn her parents last time she’d been taking notes that class, and since the professor hadn’t started yet Yang leaned a little closer. “Are those your parents?”

Blake looked up a little and toward Yang as she then gave a nod. “Yeah, it is. I haven’t seen them in a long time.”

“Do you miss them?”

She just nodded again and gave a bit of a sigh as she put the date on her page. Yang gave a knowing look, and she looked as though she was about to speak again, but Professor Port began to speak and give his good mornings, cutting her off as Yang turned her head to the front of the classroom. Port’s class was usually very boring for almost everyone, Blake included, and she found herself doodling a lot more than usual in that class. Well, she called it doodling, anyone else would call it sketching, as she was actually pretty good.

She glanced at Yang, who was texting here and there on her scroll, but clearly trying hard to keep focused, and Blake began to draw her, not for any real reason but she was there, and she wasn’t going anywhere, so Blake could glance at her for reference whenever she needed to. Between taking notes, sketching Yang, and trying to listen to Port without getting distracted, Blake lost track of the time, and right as she finished her drawing Yang glanced over and saw what Blake was doing before the faunus could hide her notebook from view.

Yang gave a smile and leaned a little closer. “Is that me?” Blake had included everything, including the bruise on her forehead, so Yang’s smile faded a little when she noticed. “Oh, is my bruise really that bad?”

Blake wasn’t quite sure how to respond, but before things could get awkward Professor Port dismissed the class and Blake let out a small breath of relief. Her and Yang had separate classes after Port. She started to organize her things and put them away as Yang did the same, but not before Yang glanced at the notebook one more time. “You’re really good at drawing. Like, that really looks like me. Do you ever do commissions?”

Blake was confused. No one but her parents had really taken an interest in her drawings before. “What? No, not really. I just doodle to pass the time and focus a little more. I prefer reading, honestly.”

“Ah, I see. You read any good books lately?”

Blake couldn’t help it, and she begun to smile. She didn’t really understand this girl, but somehow, she made Blake feel comfortable, like she could just relax and be herself with no judgment, a feeling all too rare, and she relished it. She didn’t want to go to her next class. she wanted to learn more about Yang. 

She gave a small nod to her question. “Yeah, I’m in the middle of a pretty good series right now, actually. It’s called the Books of the Princes.” She glanced at her scroll, and her smile faded. “Sorry, I gotta get to class. I’ll see you at the library during our spare.”

Blake gave a wave, and Yang smiled and nodded as they parted in the hallway. Blake felt another small smile make its way to her lips. She’d barely shown any emotion at all since moving to Vale, and here she was, smiling twice in three hours, all because of a beautiful blonde. A beautiful, caring blonde with lilac eyes that seemed to hide a hidden maturity, and something else. Something Blake couldn’t quite place. What was it? Blake shook her head a little, partially because she didn’t know, and partially to berate herself on her current train of thought. Had she really focused that much on her eyes? Either way, Blake felt a little lighter on her feet, and she was maybe a little excited to learn more about her new friend during her spare.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first true fanfic, so I have no idea how well this is gonna go over. It's a heavy one, but it ends happy, I swear! It's mostly a 'what if' story of Tai being abusive and blaming Yang for everything that's gone wrong for him. Also, this chapter is sad! I almost cried while writing it, and I don't know how often I'll get chapters out. It depends on my schedule, but if this gets some good feedback I'll put it as a higher priority


End file.
